by Jo Sandhu
‘But how would you, a Mammutti boy from the north, know that?’ Luuka shook his head. ‘Tomorrow, I start your forest lessons. You did well on the river. Now you need to learn how to approach a cave and survive in the forest.’ He kicked Tarin’s foot and they both smiled.
‘I did so well on the river we lost our boat.’ A wolf pup staggered close to him and tried to bite his fingers. Tarin pulled his hand away. ‘If you eat any more you will burst, little greedy one.’ They had skinned the wolverine and roasted some of the dark meat. Tarin had never liked the taste of it. To him, it tasted of the carrion the wolverines usually ate, but at least it was food for their stomachs and the pups hadn’t minded the taste at all.
‘Tomorrow, I will show you how to track a squirrel to find its horde of nuts. Much tastier than wolverine.’ Luuka turned his back to the fire and closed his eyes.
Tarin lay awake for a long time. He heard the wolf pups whimpering and Luuka’s restless movements.
Help us, Spirit of Wolf. Help me, Spirit of Owl.
Once before, he had called on his Spirit guides and they had helped him. They had helped him break the barrier between their two worlds, and shown him how to fight the black sickness that festered in Kaija’s shoulder. Then he had run through the forest as Wolf, driving the shadows from the forest.
But the evil ones were strong. Once more they were smothering Kaija’s Spirit of Horse, and winning. Tarin needed to fight them again, but he was tired and didn’t know if he could. And there was no more mustara leaf, the tea that the Mammutti Spirit Keepers used to enter the Spirit World.
You didn’t need it last time, Tarin reminded himself. He had sat by the fire, the cup of tea clasped untouched in his hands. For a long time, he had stared down at the inky liquid, when suddenly, Spirit of Owl had lifted him upwards to soar above the forest. Then Wolf came, and together they ran. A new world had opened up for Tarin – a world of scent and sight and sound, a world of shadows and creeping sickness. Wolf had showed Tarin how to fight the darkness.
Valo, Old Father, always said only the most powerful and bravest Spirit Keepers could enter the Spirit World without the tea, but Old Father had been wrong about so many things. Tarin had done it once. He could do it again. Already he felt the creeping warmth that started at the base of his skull. His breath deepened, his body relaxed. He opened his eyes and stared at the flames. They danced and wove stories for him, and drew him into their warmth. The forest sights and sounds – the cold, the hard ground, the falling snow – all disappeared. He closed his eyes and still he could see the flames.
That was when Owl came for him, lifting him skywards.
As always, Tarin felt an initial burst of fear. Almost, he lost his nerve. His wings faltered. The air stilled. But Owl was there to hold him strong. Did Valo still fear, when the Spirits came? he wondered. Did Valo also fly above the earth, on currents of air both strong and gentle and as cold as the great glacier itself?
He banked and swooped low over the snow-spotted forest. He searched the shadows for Wolf, because he needed Wolf to help fight the darkness around Kaija, but Owl wheeled away, north, toward the rising moon.
‘Wait!’ Tarin Owl called. ‘I have to find Wolf! I have to help Kaija!’
But Owl flew on, over the forest and away from the little camp.
One of the wolf pups raised its head and sniffed the air, but the sky was still once more as Owl drew Tarin further away into the night.
A log cracked. Kaija opened her eyes and wondered where she was. Then the memories and the pain returned, and she moaned.
‘Drink.’ Luuka was beside her, holding a cup of cool, clear water. But even the effort of drinking seemed too much. She turned her face away. ‘Drink.’ The command came firmer this time. ‘You are a healer, you know you have to drink.’
‘Not . . . healer,’ Kaija whispered, but she gave in and sipped the water. It tasted good. Luuka tried to bathe her face but she pushed him away. ‘I’m so cold.’
Luuka took her hand. ‘You feel like fire.’
‘I feel like I have ice inside me,’ Kaija snapped. Then she cried weakly. ‘I’m sorry, Luuka.’
Luuka squeezed her hand and smoothed her tangled hair off her face. This time she let him bathe her face in cool water.
‘That feels nice,’ she whispered. ‘Where’s Tarin?’
‘Sleeping.’ Luuka supported her shoulders and helped her drink some more.
‘He’s very still.’
‘The river exhausted him.’
Kaija frowned into the flames. ‘Luuka, I have to tell you something, in case . . . in case –’
‘You will not die, Kaija,’ Luuka said, cutting her off.
‘You don’t know that,’ Kaija replied. Her voice dropped low. ‘I feel Spirit of Horse with me. And Spirit of Wolf.’ She smiled weakly as a wolf pup stretched and yawned. ‘But the battle is so hard, and I’m so tired.’ She closed her eyes, searching for more strength. She had to tell Luuka, before it was too late, and now, while Tarin was sleeping, was her only chance.
‘Rest now. We can talk tomorrow.’
‘No.’ She drew in a deep breath and grasped her brother’s wrist. He winced and she released him quickly. ‘I’m sorry. So sorry. But I need to tell you something important.’
Luuka studied her. ‘Then promise me you’ll sleep.’
‘I promise,’ Kaija said. She cast a quick look at Tarin, but he slept on. ‘I need you to know what I’ve done. What promises I made to Tarin.’ She sighed wearily.
Luuka added a branch to the fire and watched it catch alight. ‘You mean, you promised to guide him to the Great Mother’s Mountain if he helped you rescue me?’
Kaija sat very still. Her breath hardly made a sound. ‘You know,’ she finally whispered.
‘He told me.’
Brother and sister stared at the flickering flames in silence. Then Kaija asked. ‘Does he know that I don’t know the way?’
‘No.’
‘I lied to him, Luuka.’
‘I know.’
‘I ruined his Offering.’ Kaija’s voice rose. ‘I ate his food. I used his furs and medicines.’
‘You saved his life.’
‘I deliberately lied to him so he would help me.’
‘You saved my life. Both of you did.’
‘How can you be so calm?’ Her voice shook with tears and fever.
Luuka moved closer to her and put his arms around her. His touch was cool and comforting. Kaija sighed deeply and leaned against him. She was so tired and so cold. If she could just make Luuka understand.
‘What you need to do now is fight to be well,’ Luuka said. ‘Nothing else matters.’
‘He will never forgive me,’ Kaija sobbed into her brother’s shoulder. ‘The Offering was so important to him.’
Luuka held her closer and smoothed her hair. ‘What has been important to me has changed so much,’ he said slowly. ‘So much has happened to us. Maybe what has been important to Tarin has changed also. You must wait and see.’
‘You are too wise.’ Kaija tried to smile but only caught her breath. Somewhere in the forest, a pack of wolves howled. They sounded far away, but still the pups jumped to their feet, alarmed, confused. They staggered and tried to howl but only managed soft yelps. Luuka soothed them, then helped Kaija to settle to sleep once more.
‘You are still fevered,’ he said. ‘Or you would never say that.’
And as her eyes closed once more, she felt the gentle touch of his lips against her forehead.
Tarin Owl was flying far away from the little camp.
‘Wait!’ he cried. ‘I need to stay and fight the bad Spirits.’
But Spirit of Owl wasn’t listening to him.
‘Wait!’ Tarin Owl tried to turn, but his wings were clumsy and the air pushed against him. ‘I have to help Kaija!’ Never before had Tarin argued with Owl. He had never tried to fight against him. Always, he had trusted Owl to guide him and help him. But he couldn’t run away from h
is friends and leave them sick and alone.
He tried to turn again, but Owl wouldn’t let him. Other owls joined them, filling the air with the soft beating of their wings and their gentle calls, flying with him, herding him. Large and small. Grey and brown, white and dappled. Snowy owls, hawk owls, tiny forest owls and long-eared eagle owls. A small speckled brown owl with eyes as black as night flew by his side. She called to him with a soft ki-yoo ki-yoo.
Spirit of Owl led the way, winging through the night sky with strong strokes of his large, grey wings. Tarin had never seen Owl like this before. When they flew together in the skies above Mammoth Clan, they were simply two spirits, soaring free, but here above the forest, they were strong, grey owls. Their eyes were bright and yellow, their faces large and round. Onwards they flew, now turning this way, now turning that way. Now high above the treetops, now swooping low to weave amongst snow-laden branches. Searching for something. Or someone.
And then he saw, down on the forest floor, a tiny, flickering light. A campfire! Owl swooped low and silent. Once, twice, above the camp. Two men in rough furs huddled around its warmth. Tarin sent a swift apology to Spirit of Owl. They were searching for help.
Owl landed softly in the heights of a pine and Tarin and the little brown owl landed too. They studied the men.
See. Smell.
The little brown owl nipped Tarin sharply. He jumped and drew in a deep breath. Wolf could smell! His nostrils quivered, and suddenly he was Wolf, loping through the snow toward the men. With keen eyes he saw through the darkness and with keen smell he recognised the men as kindred spirits. They were also Wolf.
The two black wolves sitting by the fire rose to greet him, warily at first, their muzzles drawn back, hackles raised, growls low in their throats. Tarin Wolf stayed back, his head and tail lowered, submissive, while the other two drew in his scent.
Wolf Brother. Clan Brother.
The words came as clearly to Tarin as though they were spoken. He raised his muzzle and howled, both in greeting and in recognition. The two black wolves joined in, their voices lower but more powerful, shaking the trees and echoing through the forest.
Wolf Clan is a strong clan, they howled. Together, we will fight the bad spirits.
But they had a long way to travel. Tarin yelped and turned, urging the black wolves to follow.
Please, Spirit of Wolf, please let us be in time.
Tarin Wolf lengthened his stride and the three moved swiftly together through the forest, back to Kaija and Luuka.
‘Luuka? I’m so cold.’ Kaija’s voice was weak and she struggled to sit up.
Luuka helped her and held a cup of tea to her lips. ‘I’m here,’ he said. ‘Drink.’
She took a few sips and closed her eyes wearily. The wolf pups whimpered and pressed against her.
‘Your forehead feels as hot as fire,’ Luuka said. Neither of them heard the soft rustle of leaves until the boy pup growled. His fur stood on end and he bared his little teeth. His sister joined him, her ears flat to her head, her muzzle wrinkled in a snarl.
The hazel brush was pushed aside, and a man looked into their cave. Luuka moved quickly in front of his sister.
‘Wh . . . who are you? Don’t come any closer or I’m warning you!’
‘Luuka! They are friends.’ Tarin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
Luuka stared at him. ‘How do you know?’
Tarin rubbed his eyes, as though to shake off the last of his sleep. ‘I asked for help. I asked Owl . . .’ Then suddenly his legs collapsed beneath him and he fell. The strange man darted forward and grabbed him beneath the shoulders. He eased him to the ground and they studied each other thoughtfully.
Not Boar Clan, Tarin thought. Not Mammutti either. The man was only as tall as Luuka. Rough furs were strapped over bowed legs and powerful arms. His brown eyes were filled with concern, and Tarin realised – this was a boy, not a man.
‘You asked for help?’ Luuka shook his head, confused.
‘The Spirits,’ Tarin whispered, his gaze still on the stranger. Was this truly the black wolf spirit who had run with him through the forest? ‘I asked the Spirits to help us.’ He gripped the stranger’s arm. ‘You are Wolf Clan. I saw you. We ran together through the forest.’
The stranger dipped his head, smiling, and spoke, but his voice was strange to Tarin’s ears.
‘I . . . I don’t understand,’ Tarin said, but Luuka gasped. He spoke to the boy in the same, strange tone. The boy frowned, his head turned to one side, and spoke again.
‘Tarin! They are Esi, I’m sure of it. I have some sense of his words, but they are maybe a different clan to the traders I have spoken with.’ Luuka held his hands up in a gesture of peace. ‘My sister is hurt.’ He pointed at Kaija and knelt beside her.
‘Yaiya?’ The stranger knelt and looked at Kaija. ‘Yorv,’ he said, and pointed to himself. Then he pointed at Kaija. ‘Yaiya.’
Tarin and Luuka stared at each other. Was the strange boy trying to say Kaija’s name?
Luuka jumped up and gripped the boy’s shoulders. ‘You know Kaija? How?’ But his words were too fast and too many. The stranger looked confused.
Luuka held his breath and tried again. ‘Kaija.’ He pointed to his sister.
The boy nodded. His head bobbed up and down. He thumped his chest. ‘Friend! Yorv!’
Luuka released his breath in a rush and stared at Tarin. Tarin shivered as he saw a tinge of fear enter his friend’s eyes.
‘Tarin! I don’t know how, but you have not only found help in this vast forest, you have found a friend.’ Luuka’s voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Only a powerful Spirit Keeper could do that.’
Tarin shook his head. Fear entered his own heart, but he knew it wasn’t all him – Spirit of Owl had known where to look for help, and Spirit of Wolf had brought them here. He had simply asked for their help.
Kaija’s wound was red and bleeding. Yorv bent down and studied the bloodstained bandage.
‘I wish I could remember the words. We were escaping from Boar Clan.’ Luuka frowned in concentration.
Yorv leaned close to watch Tarin trickle water over the angry wound, then with a quick, fluid movement, he slipped his arms under Kaija and lifted her.
‘What are you doing?’ Tarin grabbed his arm as he went to leave the cave.
Yorv spoke, but again, the meaning was lost. He walked a few paces, then stood and waited for the boys.
Luuka and Tarin looked at each other. ‘We need help,’ Tarin said. ‘Owl led me to them.’
Luuka’s mouth was grim, but he nodded.
Yorv bobbed his head and looked pleased. He called out. The bushes parted, and another stranger stepped forward. He had the same deepset eyes and solid build, but he was shorter and his shaggy hair a shade lighter.
‘Narn,’ Yorv said, and moved off into the forest with his burden.
Narn waited while the boys smothered the fire and bundled the wolves into their beaskas. His eyes widened at the sight of the bundles of grey fur. Then they hurried after Yorv.
Yorv and Narn moved quickly, and Luuka and Tarin stumbled behind. They were tired, and injured, and moving in unfamiliar territory. Tarin felt as though he were in a dream. His leg ached with every step and breathing hurt his chest.
They struggled over the uneven ground and thick undergrowth. A couple of times he fell, but Narn and Luuka were there to haul him to his feet. Snow fell thickly, and their feet dragged through the drifts. His boots were wet and his toes numb. The only part of him that felt warm was his chest, where the wolf pup huddled.
They stopped for a sip of water from a rabbit skin pouch and to catch their breath. Tarin felt lost in a wor
ld of swirling snow and indistinct shapes. A grey, sombre day dawned, and still they trudged onwards.
Tarin followed the line of footsteps crusted in the snow. He could no longer see Kaija and Yorv. He struggled onwards, over fallen logs and thick brambles. The ground rose, and he followed it upwards toward a large cave. The opening yawned before him, waiting to swallow him. Inside would be warm and dry, he thought, and he hurried toward it with his last bit of strength. But the ground was treacherous and again he fell, and this time, his strength was gone. He fell and couldn’t move. He felt warm blood on his face.
‘Narn!’ Luuka called out.
Just like a reindeer carcass, Tarin thought. Then his head cleared as the warmth of the cave surrounded him.
Soft furs were beneath him. The white swirling snow had been left outside. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, but all he could see was dim light and flickering fires. Why was he here? he wondered. Then suddenly, memory returned.
‘Kaija!’ Tarin tried to sit up, to find where Yorv had taken her. He pushed at the hands around him – the hands that were trying to put warm furs around his shoulders and place hot tea in his hands. He didn’t want any comforts, not yet. Not until he knew that Kaija was safe. Dark eyes blinked at him, then retreated.
‘Yaiya.’ Yorv pointed toward a sheltered corner of the cave.
Tarin staggered to his feet and limped toward her. She was lying beside a fire. An elderly woman peeled the bandages from her wound and grunted.
‘I had to get the spearhead out.’ Tarin knew he was babbling. ‘But the wound won’t heal. She’s strong. Spirit of Horse protects her.’
The old woman passed him a cup of tea and her eyes twinkled. Tarin felt tears sting his own eyes, but some of his worry dropped away. He looked at the woman’s deep brow ridges overshadowing ancient eyes and her sparse grey hair. Yet she moved like a younger woman. It was hard to tell how old she was.
